Next Tuesday, the Windham Town Council will begin review of a proposed long-term quarry that has met fierce opposition from surrounding neighbors.

The quarry received its first round of approval from the Windham Planning Board earlier this month.

The quarry, proposed by local developer Peter Busque, would encompass 75 acres of ledge rock on the corner of Nash Road and Route 302. Busque plans to blast into the hill to prevent noise and dust from escaping the quarry and has committed to monitoring the quarry and other safety measures to protect nearby residents.

Surrounding neighbors disapprove of the quarry’s location and want the town to adopt stricter regulations to protect their homes and businesses.

These neighbors have submitted a petition-driven ordinance change to force the town to adopt these new regulations.

On Tuesday, Aug. 1, Windham town councilors will meet with town attorney Ken Cole to talk about what the council’s legal role in final review of the quarry will be and how to address the neighbors’ ordinance, which they are now obligated to either adopt or send out to town-wide vote after a public hearing.

A public hearing has been set on Aug. 8 to hear what residents think of the new ordinance.

At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, Tim Tandberg, whose family has run a construction and gravel business in Windham for 50 years, spoke out against the ordinance because it had been written by a lawyer hired by the neighbors without consulting local gravel pit owners.

“I feel the ordinance should be thrown out and put together in a proper manner,” Tandberg said.

Margaret Pinchbeck, a Nash Road neighbor and leader of the opposing group, said the neighbors tried to communicate with gravel pit owners to amend language in the ordinance, but went ahead with submitting the petitioned ordinance as it was after a lack of response from the gravel pit owners.

If adopted by the council, the ordinance would retroactively affect all large gravel and quarry operations dating back to January 2005.

This would force Busque to return to the Windham Planning Board for approval once again of his proposed quarry. However, Busque, who has invested $1.8 million in the quarry property, has said that new restrictions in the neighbors’ ordinance would make the quarry operation on Nash Road no longer worthwhile.

Peter Busque, owner of this gravel pit on Route 35 in Standish, will see his proposed Nash Road quarry debated by the Windham Town Council starting Tuesday night.